Mangrove logging in Lamu has been banned until the August 24-25 national census is concluded.
Anyone found logging on census day will be arrested, county commissioner Irungu Macharia said on Thursday.
Mangrove logging is normally done in the evenings.
Many mangrove forests in Lamu are on channels in the Indian Ocean. Loggers at times spend several nights and days away, only retreating into the boats to rest and eat until they harvest enough logs.
“We expect everyone to be in their houses by 6pm on Saturday. I am making the announcement this early so that we don’t have people saying they didn’t know. I have instructed the police, chiefs and headmen to enforce it,” Macharia said.
Owners of traditional liquor dens should close them by 6pm to ensure that their customers are at home before the headcount starts.
“This is for the owners of those mnazi and mkoma brews. Close and head home before 6pm. You are also not allowed to go drinking even after you have been counted,” the administrator said.
He told politicians not politicise the exercise. He said the 2019 national housing census has nothing to do with 2022 politics.
“This census is basically for the purpose of planning for the development of our people. It has nothing to do with either the 2022 politics or election boundary reviews."
Macharia said there will be no manipulation of the census data as the whole exercise is digitised.
County Statistics officer Anthony Mwangi asked locals to be alert and identify genuine census officials. Their identifications are Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reflector jackets and badges.
